Need A Miracle?

Many miracles were performed throughout the Bible, and the God who performed those miracles is the same now as he was then. He still performs miracles in massive quantities today. However, some people do not believe miracles happen anymore or never believed they have ever happened, but write them off as luck or chance. I have seen and heard about enough miracles first, second and third-hand that I could not deny their existence even if I tried. Someone once told me that those who do not believe in miracles all of the sudden do believe when they really need one.

My first personal miracle is the fact that I am where I am today, even after having grown up in a home with a very physical and emotionally abusive mother with mental illness and a very emotionally and verbally abusive father. I have lost count of the number of times that people have told me, “I have no idea how you turned out to be such a good person having gone through all of that,” and, “How can you still smile so much after all you have been through?” Even family members shake their heads in amazement and fully believe, as do I, that how my life has turned out is a miracle. Even the fact that I am alive and my life was not cut prematurely by the hand of my mother or by my own doing as a teenager is a miracle.

I can only give God all the glory for that fact that I am still a whole, peaceful, joyful person making something out of my life and I am able to function normally in life without the help of medications or counselors, etc. These things can be helpful for many people and they are not bad things, but just the fact that I have not had to utilize one of these to function is a miracle. I am very grateful for what God has done in my life and how he miraculously healed me despite the very damaging start I had in life. It takes far more than luck or chance for something this miraculous to happen…it takes the hand of a caring, purposeful and powerful God. Not that this road has ever made my life easy (I have wanted to give up at times and I still struggle to ever believe I am truly loved or loveable), but nonetheless, I am here—happy, healthy and whole.

Fast forward to five years ago, when my son turned 13. He had had a case of strep throat, and his doctor cleared him after his antibiotics were done on a Friday and in that very same weekend, he woke up very early in the morning and had a bad seizure and then was unresponsive afterwards for quite some time. He was hospitalized for three days afterwards and went through many tests and scans during that time to find out the problem, which ended up being a rare, potentially serious complication of strep throat. He had some brain swelling and his kidneys were also very large on the scan, much larger than for a normal 13-year-old (this ended up being a previous kidney condition we did not know he had until then).

The neurologist came in and informed me that he should not ever have another seizure, which was very relieving, but the condition he had was serious in some cases. He gave me several pages to read about it and as a mother, the words “…long-term brain dysfunction, kidney shutdown or death” as possible complications of what he had was, to say the least, unnerving.  He comforted me by the fact, however, that he strongly believed that my son had the reversible kind, which would over time “work itself out” and he would fully recover but it would take some time.

His blood pressure kept sky-rocketing the entire three days in the hospital, even after being given blood pressure medication. I was still afraid he would have another seizure while there because the nurse had told me his blood pressure was so high that it was that of an old person getting ready to have a stroke or heart attack. The nephrologist (kidney specialist) who came in and saw him was also concerned that one of his kidneys was as big as it was and said it looked like he had kidney disease that could cause his kidneys to shut down. After I was relieved about the brain part of the seizure being under control and knowing that it was most likely a temporary condition, I was hit with the news that his kidneys were not doing well at all according to his blood work and scan.  

It took him far longer to recover than the doctors expected and he had to be on blood pressure medication for four months afterwards, have regular blood pressure checks done to keep it level and be on a low-sodium diet. It was a very scary, uncertain time for us with many follow-ups with the kidney specialist and his pediatrician. They were going to have to do a kidney biopsy because after several months his kidney levels still did not even out.

However, every step of the way I could see God touching his body, and that kidney biopsy never had to be done after all. It took far, far longer for the healing but I firmly believe that God’s hand was on my son through that whole process. I was told that his immune system was now compromised and to expect him to get sick a lot more often. However, since that time five years ago, my son has been sick far, far LESS than he ever was before all of that happened!

As he was in the middle of that seizure, I cried out to the Lord, “Lord JESUS, PLEASE DON’T LET HIM DIE LIKE THIS!!” It literally looked like he was at death’s doorstep as blood was coming from his mouth and the seizure lasted for what seemed like forever. The Lord heard my prayer that morning and kept his hand on my son through every step.

Most recently, my step-mom was thrown off of her horse. She is an avid horse rider and this was the same horse she has had for years, which never gave her any kind of problems. My dad was outside when she was thrown off and also witnessed the horse stomping and kicking her. She was lying on the ground, not moving. As he ran up to her, she was bleeding pretty badly from the head. She is a very small but strong lady, and her horse is quite a big horse. After a few minutes, she was able to say that it felt like her ribs were broken.

After the hospital did an MRI and other tests on her, they found absolutely NO BROKEN OR CRACKED BONES and NO organ damage whatsoever!! She was very banged up and bruised with a gash on her head but other than that, there was no major damage! How can one possibly explain that, except as a miracle from God himself!?

I have heard accounts of people being shot in the head point blank and surviving without any lasting brain damage. Again, how can this be explained, except as a miracle? Miracles happen every day that leave non-believers scratching their heads. All I know is that I am the product of a miracle (and could tell you many physical miracles God has done for me also) and that I have witnessed many others.

Where do you need a miracle? Nothing is too small, too big, too complicated or too far gone for God to intervene and perform a miracle for you too! Ask him and then believe him for your miracle, for “Nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)